The present invention relates to accessories for fishing rods and, more particularly, a tangle prevention accessory to prevent slack and avoid looping of a fishing line as it is recoiled onto a spool.
It is a common experience to those who engage in the sport of fishing to experience tangles in a fishing line. In one typical circumstance, tangling of a fishing line may occur during retrieval of line previously cast to a desired location, with bait or a lure secured to the end of the fishing line. Such occurrences of tangling may occur with either of two common types of fishing reels, known generally as spinning reels and baitcasting reels. In a spinning reel, a rotationally fixed spool for storing coiled fishing line thereon is mounted with its axis generally parallel to and spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the fishing reel. A line winding device is typically mounted to rotate about the spool, and to oscillate back and forth in the axial direction of the spool as well, in order to wind fishing line onto the spool as the angler cranks the line retrieval handle. The spinning reel is positioned underneath the fishing rod in the normal use position.
In a conventional baitcasting fishing reel, a rotatably mounted line storage spool is provided with its axis of rotation transverse to and spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the fishing rod. The baitcasting reel is typically positioned above the fishing rod in its normal use position. A line winding device may also be provided, which oscillates back and forth along the axis of the spool to evenly distribute fishing line on the spool as it is retrieved as the angler cranks the line retrieval handle.
A typical fishing rod, whether designed for use with a spinning reel or a baitcasting reel, is conventionally provided with a plurality of circular line guides mounted at spaced apart locations along the length of the fishing rod. Typically, the diameter of the circular opening of the line guides increases from a relatively small size at the rod tip to a larger size towards the handle end of the rod, with the line guide closest to the reel spaced away from the reel by a distance of, for example, about 18 inches, although this distance varies widely from one fishing rod to another, depending on such factors as the overall length of the rod, the number of line guides, the type or style or particular intended use of the fishing rod, and the manufacturer. Line guides for fishing rods designed to be used in conjunction with spinning reels typically have openings of substantially greater diameters than those for fishing rods designed to be used with baitcasting reels. This is so because the spatial location at which line designed to be used with baitcasting reels. This is so because the spatial location at which line is wound onto the spool by the line winding device follows a circular path around and diametrically outside the circumference of the forwardly directed face of the spool. In order to reduce resistance on the fishing line as it passes through the line guides, the use of larger diameter line guides reduces the angles of the path that the line must travel, both as it is retrieved and cast by the angler.
The spatial location at which fishing line is wound onto the spool of a baitcasting reel also varies as the angler turns or cranks the line retrieval handle, but the variation is generally less than that which occurs in most conventional spinning reels, because the line is wound directly onto the spool. Thus the location varies entirely within the profile of the reel, and only across the axial length of the line-holding portion of the spool itself. Nonetheless, there is still some spatial variation as the line is retrieved.
As is well known to anglers, fishing line is retrieved in a wide variety of fishing situations and circumstances. In many such instances, the fishing line is under tension during line retrieval as a result of either the drag created by bait or a lure attached to the terminal end of the line or, hopefully, a hooked fish in the process of being caught. In many other circumstances, however, fishing line is retrieved when there is little or no tension on the line. This may occur, for example, when live baitfish is swimming toward the angler, or a lure is drifting toward the angler, or vice versa, or when line is being taken up between movements of a lure through the water or along the bottom of the lake or pond or sea, or in a wide variety of other common fishing situations.
In these slack line situations, line may not be wound tightly onto the spool of the reel, both in the case of baitcasting reels and also, more particularly, in the case of spinning reels. Loosely wound line on the spool of a reel hampers both line retrieval and, more importantly, subsequent casting of line as the fishing line comes off the spool at uneven speeds and in uneven amounts. The problem is greatly exacerbated with a spinning reel because the line winding device is rotating about a rotationally fixed spool which is oscillating back and forth along its axis. This back-and-forth movement of the spool while line is being coiled around the spool tends to cause another problem which is more serious than mere looseness of the coiled line. The motion places loops in the line as it is wound onto the spool, which loops interfere with normal line retrieval and casting, sometimes so severely as to render further use of the reel impossible without intervention of the angler to untangle the line. In the most serious instances of such line looping, where the angler fails to notice the presence of a loop of line on the spool, the next successive cast can cause a larger amount of line to become terribly tangled about the spool, as the initial momentum of the line as the angler initiates the casting of the lure or bait may cause a great amount of line to envelop and overtake the loop in an unorganized fashion. In the parlance of anglers, the result is often called a xe2x80x9cbird""s nestxe2x80x9d due to its resemblance to a randomly interwoven mass of fibers. This occurrence can be a serious annoyance for anglers, both experienced and inexperienced alike, and tends to diminish the enjoyment of the fishing experience as a whole.
An inexpensive and easy-to-use device which would reduce the frequency of, or even eliminate, the occurrence of line tangling of the type just described would represent a substantial advance in the angling arts.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an apparatus that reduces or prevents tangling of a fishing line that passes through one or more guides on a fishing rod is described.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for the prevention of tangling of a fishing line. The apparatus includes a housing having a first end, a second end spaced from the first end, and first and second opposing walls extending therebetween. A clamp is operative to secure the housing to the fishing rod. A bore extends through the housing, and a slot is provided in the first wall which is in communication with the bore and which is sized to receive the fishing line. A gate rigidly disposed relative to the housing impedes free passage of the fishing line from the bore and into the slot.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a method for preventing tangles from forming on a cast fishing line as the fishing line is reeled in is provided. The method includes placing the fishing line under tension in a tensioner that is connected to a fishing rod at a point along the length of the fishing rod that is distal to, yet proximate to, a reel; and reeling in the fishing line onto the reel while maintaining tension distal to the reel. In a more detailed aspect of the invention, the method can include the further step of guiding the fishing line past a gate into the bore that is sized to receive and maintain the fishing line under tension. In still a further detailed aspect of the invention, the method can include the additional step of releasing the fishing line from the tensioner after the fishing line has been reeled in so as to permit casting of the fishing line.
These and other aspects, features and advantages can be better appreciated from the accompanying figures and detailed description of a preferred embodiment.